Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:24:36 -0400
From: JM Stories
Subject: "Just Together" chapter 35
Disclaimer: This story is fiction. It makes no claims to the true
personality or sexuality of anyone involved. You already know if you
shouldn't be reading this.
------------------
Just Together
by jm_stories
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Chapter XXXV
*** [ 10/24-25/03, Friday-Saturday ]
On the plane Kolya explained, again, everything about Niko. Their
father's business, in English, was Nikolai Polenov Plasterwork. They had
both been named "Nikolai" so one or both would take over the business
eventually. Kolya was called Kolya -- a typical nickname for Nikolai --
and Niko, Niko. Sounded confusing and made me think of George Foreman.
He'd taught him English during the summers and when calling home during
the school year, in addition to videos and toys. Their parents had
worked long hours and Niko spent the majority of his time with their
grandmother, who needed help getting up and down the stairs, so Niko
didn't get outside much. Their grandmother was very pro-education and
would read to Niko all the time, or watch educational shows on TV. One
of the neighbors who also had kids would take Niko out to the park on
occasion and Kolya had taken him daily during summers. Leaving his
grandmother would be harder on Niko than losing his parents since he
spent all his time with her. He was extremely inquisitive and loved
going out, but was shy in crowds. His favorite food so far was
McDonald's french fries -- which Kolya had taken him out for several
times during the past summer. He never wet the bed since he was potty
trained -- which was since he was two. He was very helpful around the
apartment out of necessity.
We got into St. Petersburg around 4:30 and were doubly glad Kolya was
with us because we had no clue with Russian. After making it through
customs and security we boarded a bus into the city and then caught
another bus somewhere. We walked a couple blocks after we got off the
bus and finally got to the large, old apartment building where Kolya's
remaining immediate family lived.
"Sorry. The elevator does not work, but apartment is only on third
floor," Kolya said and lead us upstairs. He greeted a few older people
on the way up and it seemed several were expecting and inspecting us. We
finally arrived at the door and he knocked loudly before pulling out his
key and opening the door. As soon as he got it opened a blonde ball of
energy screamed his name and ran into him. Kolya picked him up and
hugged him. A few seconds later an old Russian woman -- looking very
traditional -- came around the corner, moving slowly. Kolya set Niko
down and went to hug his grandmother, talking in Russian for a minute.
"Sorry. Please. Come in," Kolya said to Michael and me.
He made the introductions and we went into the living room. Baba
(grandma) seemed to be cautiously pleased to see us. The apartment was
fairly large, but the rooms were cluttered with what seemed like
generations of furniture and books. We sat down on a sofa and finally
got a good look at Niko, who was now a bit shy with strangers in his
house. He was ridiculously cute with straight sandy-blonde hair and big,
bright blue-green eyes that seemed to be on the edge of tears, even when
he smiled. I opened a bag and pulled out the Animal Planet Jumbo Dino
Playset that we'd bought him after Kolya told us Niko liked dinosaurs.
It was supposed to be for ages 5 and up, but three-and-a-half was close
enough since there weren't any tiny parts. His eyes got wide as he saw
the dinosaurs on the box.
"Do you know what these are?" I asked Niko.
Shyly, he answered in Russian, though the word was fairly close to the
English word.
"Use English," Kolya prompted.
Niko thought for a moment. "Dinosaur?" He asked and looked to Kolya for
confirmation.
"Yes. Very good," Kolya smiled.
"Yes. That's right. Dinosaurs. Do you know who it's for?" I asked.
He shook his head.
"It's for Niko."
"I Niko," he declared.
"Then it must be for you," I smiled and held out the big box.
We set it on the floor right away and I helped him open it. He laughed
and babbled something in Russian as he pulled out the first dinosaur.
"In English," Kolya prompted again. "You must speak in English except to
Baba."
"Okay," Niko said, pretty much ignoring him.
Baba said something and Niko looked up at me.
"Thank you," he smiled and went back to pulling out the dinosaurs.
"You're welcome."
While Niko played with the dinosaurs, we talked with Baba -- using Kolya
as the interpreter. I pulled out my PowerBook and showed her where we
lived. I would have liked to have had prints made, but I thought of it
too late and didn't have time before we left.
"We should go to the grocery before it gets much later," Kolya said
after an hour or so.
"How about dinner somewhere first? I'm starving," Michael said.
"Yes, but we will need to go to grocery first to make dinner. Three men
eat more than one old woman and a small child," Kolya said.
"Of course, but why don't we just take everyone out to dinner? Have they
eaten yet?" I asked.
"No, they have not eaten dinner yet. I suppose we can go out for dinner
and then shop tomorrow. What type of restaurant would you like?"
"Nothing extravagant. Just someplace we can have a nice sit down
dinner."
"It should be a place that serves Russian food. We are in Russia after
all," Michael said.
"And since you are in Russia, everything is Russian food," Kolya
smirked. "But I know what you are saying. There is a traditional
restaurant a couple blocks away. That will be good for tonight."
"Do they accept credit cards, or do I need to get some cash first?" I
asked.
"I'm certain they accept credit cards. St. Petersburg is very modern by
Russian standards. You will probably find it similar to New York or
London as far as convenience for tourists."
"Good. I hate being stuck with a bunch of foreign change after I'm in
another country," Michael said.
*
It took a while to get everyone ready and get to the restaurant. True to
his word, it was a traditional Russian restaurant. The choices were few
and it seemed that everything had meat. I ended up ordering a bowl of
grybnoy (mushroom) soup and some pirozhki with pork and potatoes, while
Michael had a steak and potato with mushrooms. It all tasted fine, but I
would have preferred less meat and fat in my meal. Niko had the same
pirozhki I ordered, plus some french fries.
We got back a little before Niko's bed time. It seemed as good a time as
any to crash since we were still on New York time.
*** [ 10/26/03, Sunday ]
I woke to little hands shaking me. I rolled away from Michael and looked
at Niko.
"You wake now. Kolya said. Go to park," he said.
"Good morning, little man. What time is it?" I smiled at him.
"Time go to park. Hurry. Get dressed," he said and ran out.
"What time is it?" Michael mumbled.
"Time to go to the park, apparently," I said as I reached for my mobile
to find the real time. It was just after 8AM. I relayed that to Michael.
"So it's about 1AM New York time, right?"
"Yeah, I think so. Let's take a shower."
"Do either of you want oatmeal for breakfast?" Kolya asked as we walked
out of our room.
"Sure," Michael said.
"Yeah. I'll have a little. We're going to take a shower first," I said.
*
The park was crappy by American standards, but Niko didn't seem to
notice or mind. The swings still worked and required someone to push,
and the monkey bars were fun to climb. We played at the park for a
couple hours and then went to a grocery store. The grocery was a step up
from the Soviet era stores I'd seen on documentaries, but no where near
even the small Mom & Pop's in the US. The meat and vegetables were
fresh, but the selection of everything was one choice and basic. We
weighed ourselves down with groceries and headed back for lunch.
Niko had a nap after lunch. After he woke it was time for watching an
episode of "Sesame Street" -- today's letter was "N". After it was over
Niko sang the alphabet song with Kolya. He knew the alphabet in English
better than in Russian, and Kolya admitted to us that Baba had chastised
him more than once for pushing English more than Russian with Niko.
***
The next couple days were spent taking Niko with us as we visited all
the sights of St. Petersburg and generally getting to know him. He
really was a great kid and very bright. He was always thrilled to go
out, but wouldn't let go of Kolya's hand unless we were at the park --
in which case he ran straight for the swings.
Unlike some European cities I'd visited, I couldn't imagine living in
St. Petersburg. While it had some beautiful areas, the atmosphere
outside of these areas was oppressive and run down -- not to mention
that the web of wires over the streets made me decidedly uncomfortable.
Baba was cautiously friendly and it was obvious we were being judged. I
would expect nothing less. She didn't look frail, but it was obvious
moving was painful to her. Most of the time she sat in a chair in front
of the TV and watched history or nature shows from satellite.
*** [ 10/29/03, Wednesday ]
"So what do you think? He is a good boy like I said. Yes?" Kolya asked
me.
"Yeah. He's a great kid. How will he react to leaving his grandmother
behind, and will she be okay with probably not seeing him for a while?"
"He will adjust. As for our grandmother, she is old and knows she cannot
take care of him well. She cannot climb the stairs by herself anymore
and relies on neighbors to get groceries. If Niko is gone she will move
to retirement home. She cannot move there with Niko."
"Okay. What do you think?" I asked Michael.
"You're going to be the one signing all the papers, but I say yes. He's
an incredible kid," Michael said.
"Our lives are going to change. A lot," I warned.
"I know," he shrugged.
"Okay. Let's do this," I said to Kolya.
He smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, very much. It will all
be good. You will see."
"So what do we do now?" Michael asked.
"We must go to government building and file request and fill out
paperwork. There will be an interview and background check and then a
trial date set in a month or so. Since it is a private adoption and
everyone agrees, it is merely a formality. After that you will legally
be Niko's father," Kolya explained. "Before we leave you will get
adoption papers from government. You will have to file the papers at USA
consulate and get a visa and passport to bring him back. After that
everything is good."
"I think you're oversimplifying things," I said.
"No. I have a lawyer and have learned who to bribe to push it through
quickly."
"Ah, bribes," Michael laughed.
"It is the only way to get things done here when dealing with
government," Kolya said like it was just a fact of life. "We can go
tomorrow and have everything done on same day except the trial."
"Well, let's hope your Russian lawyer is as good as your American lawyer
at getting things pushed through," I said. "I'd like to ask Niko what he
thinks about becoming my son."
"You would say no if he doesn't want to go?" Kolya asked.
"No. I realize he's just a child. I just want to know what he thinks
about it."
"Ah. Okay. Let me get him," Kolya said and left the room, returning a
few seconds later with with Niko on his back. He set him down and sat on
the floor.
"Niko. How would you like to come live in America?" Kolya asked.
"With you?" Niko asked in awe.
"With Jonah and Michael. My bedroom there is too small for such a big
boy as you. I'll be really close, though, and can visit all the time
instead of only during summer."
Niko looked at me and Michael.
"Would you like to come live with us? I'd really like it if you would,"
I said.
"Okay," he shrugged and ran out.
"That was anticlimactic," Michael laughed.
"I don't think he quite got what we were asking," I said.
"I think he understood that he would be living in America near me,"
Kolya said.
"Probably, but not that he'd not see Baba for a while."
"He will adjust."
***
The next day we went to some government building and jumped through
hoops and filled out paperwork and waited around all day. We got there
when they opened and didn't leave until they closed, but I had all the
appropriate paperwork and a trial date. Niko was a bit hyper when we
finally got back and had to be taken to the park for an hour or so.
Filing the paperwork at the US Consulate the following day was
relatively quick in comparison and we were back just after lunch. Of
course I wouldn't get the visa or passport until after the trial.
*** [ 11/2/03, Sunday ]
"You go back New York now?" Niko asked as we piled our bags in the
hallway.
"Yes. I have to go back to school," Kolya said.
"You go school?" He asked me and Michael.
"No. I'm all done with school. Michael and I have to go to work," I
said.
"Okay. When come back?"
"We'll be back in two months. That's just after Christmas."
"Get presents at Christmas. You not here?"
"I will be here for Christmas, but Jonah and Michael will not be here
until afterwards," Kolya said.
"When I go New York with you?"
"After we come back to get you. We have to get permission to take you to
New York and that takes a long time," I said.
"I want go now," he started pouting.
"You can't go right now," Kolya said as he knelt and hugged Niko. "Take
care of Baba, okay?"
"Okay," Niko sniffed.
"And you be my good little man until I get back. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Can I get a hug good-bye?" I asked as I knelt down. Niko looked at me a
moment and then gave me a hug.
"And me, too?" Michael asked and got his hug as well.
Kolya talked with Baba for a minute and then hugged her. We thanked her,
said good-bye and left for the airport.
*
After a long, bumpy flight back and a painful time in customs we finally
got home around 11:30PM. We went straight to bed.
*** [ 11/3/03, Monday ]
We were both wide awake by 6AM, but stayed in bed until 7AM when we
heard Scott in the shower.
"I hate time changes," Michael grumbled as we went downstairs.
"I agree. I've got meetings all day."
"Sucks to be you. I'm just going to veg all day. Which room do you think
we should put Niko in? The one next to ours?"
"It's larger, but I think the one closer to the bathroom would be
better. Don't want him falling down the stairs."
"Ah. Right. Keep the bunk bed?"
"Um, I don't know. Probably not. He's too small to climb to the top
bunk, and he'd try if it was there. We can use the mattress."
"I think I'll look for kid stuff today," Michael said.
"Don't buy anything yet. What if the Russian government denies the
adoption?" I said and flipped on the coffee maker.
"They won't. Kolya said he knows who to bribe. Now it's just a matter of
waiting for bureaucrats. You'll be Daddy in January."
"And you'll be Mommy?"
"Yeah, sure. That'll confuse the kid. I could be 'papa' or 'p¸re'
or...just 'Michael'."
"'Papa' won't work. That's what he called his birth father."
"Oh, right."
"'P¸re' could work, though."
"Okay. Then I'll be P¸re."
"Oh, hey. You're back. And you've already got coffee on," Scott said as
he walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
"Yep. We're back."
"How'd it go? How was St. Petersburg?" Scott asked and pulled down a cup
for himself.
"I think it went fine. Jonah's being more paranoid," Michael said.
"Cautious," I corrected.
"Whichever. Kolya has plans to bribe the right person, so it's just a
matter of waiting right now."
"Bribing?" Scott asked.
I shrugged. "He says it's the only way to get anything done there."
"If it works, I guess. How was...Niko?"
"Ridiculously cute. Painfully cute. Just so damned cute you can't stand
it," Michael smirked.
"So you didn't like him, eh?" Scott shot back.
"We loved him. We've got video and pictures you can check out when you
get back tonight. Very loving and inquisitive," I said.
"How's his English?"
"Surprisingly good. He speaks it like a Russian, of course, but he
understands it quite well. Almost all his videos are in English."
"Sounds like Kolya had been raising him for this."
"No. He said he didn't learn English until high school and it was much
harder. He wanted Niko to be multi-lingual right away."
"And went to great lengths to do it," Michael added. "He had probably 50
or more tapes of 'Sesame Street' and other shows like that."
"No Barney?"
"Fortunately, no."
"So when will you know?"
"We have to go back on January 5th for a court date. It'll happen then
or be denied," I said.
"Damn. That's really soon. I've heard that it can take almost a year for
some adoptions."
"It can, but we're doing a private adoption and Kolya has found good
lawyers and, apparently, who to bribe. I'm only surprised that I was
approved so quickly," I said.
"You'll be parents before you know it," Scott said. "Where are you
putting him? Do I need to start looking for another place?"
"He'll be in the room next to yours. Why would you need to look for
another place?" I asked.
"Just checking. Didn't know if you'd still want to have a roommate when
you had a kid. I don't have any problems with it right now."
"You can stay and be Uncle Scott," Michael smiled.
"No, just 'Scott' will be fine. You'll confuse him if you name all of
your friends Uncle This or Aunt That."
"True. He will have enough real Aunts and Uncles on the Mars side,"
Michael said.
"More cousins than anything," I said.
"What about the Pitt side?" Scott asked.
"No where near as many, and I don't know if we'll be taking him to see
them, anyway."
"Why not? I thought you got along okay with your family, except your
brother."
"Because they're totally against me adopting or being part of an
adoption. It's another reason why only Jonah is going to be the legal
parent. It'll be several years before I could get approved with my
family standing in the way."
"But after they see how well you do with him as my son, then they'll
have no wind for their sails," I said.
"And their opinions won't matter at that point, anyway. The courts would
see that I've been a part of his life and make the decision that way,"
Michael said.
"Okay. As long as everything works out," Scott said and took his coffee
with him to his bedroom.
*** [ 11/5/03 ]
"We need to start looking for a school for Niko," Michael said as he
walked into my office.
"He's only three-and-a-half."
"And we're probably already late. I don't know how it was in Chicago,
but there are long waiting lists for all the private schools here."
"You've already been looking?"
"No. I was just talking with Romeo. He said they've already got Carlos
on four waiting lists -- and he's not quite three yet."
"There are a few good public schools."
"You'd have to live in that neighborhood. We're sending him to a private
school. They're expensive as hell, but I've been through the public
schools here and I'm not letting our kid go through that crap," Michael
stated.
"Feel pretty sure about that, huh?"
"Definitely. As much as I hate the idea of him being one of those
pretentious brats in a tie and jacket on the subway, it's better than
getting stabbed because he looked at someone wrong. Besides, he'll need
extra attention until he's fluent in English."
"Okay," I said and grabbed my laptop. A few minutes later we were
looking through a long list of private schools in the area with parent
reviews. We made a list of all the five-star ones, eliminating the
religious focused schools, and then started checking out the websites of
the individual schools.
Michael wasn't exaggerating when he said they were expensive as hell.
All of them were at least $20,000 a year or more. After a couple hours
we narrowed the list to five schools -- two of which were in Brooklyn.
Michael planned to start making appointments for January with the
schools tomorrow.
*** [ 11/15/03 ]
"This is Jonah," I answered my mobile. I was down in the shop building a
toy-box of sorts for Niko's room.
"Hey, kid. How was your visit to Russia?" Uncle Joe asked.
"Oh, hey. It was good. Really good."
"So you're going to adopt him?"
"Gonna try. All the paperwork is filed there and we have a court date on
January 5th. Sorry I haven't called. It's been a bit busy here."
"I understand. Are you two coming for Thanksgiving?"
"Um, hadn't thought about it, really. That's coming up soon."
"Less than two weeks."
"Yeah. Um, I'll talk with Michael about it, but I don't think we'll be
able to make it this year. There's just so much going on and we've been
gone a lot. It'll be nice to just have some down time."
"Okay. I understand. Just know that you're welcome if you change your
mind."
"I know. We'll probably be there next year."
"Good. So tell me about the boy you're adopting."
"Niko," I said and then told him about the trip and our interactions
with Niko.
*
"What do you want to do for Thanksgiving?" I asked Michael as I walked
back into the apartment.
"I haven't thought about it, but I figured we'd just go to Chicago if we
did anything. I'd prefer to be home, though."
"Yeah. That's what I thought, too. I told Uncle Joe we probably wouldn't
be there."
"Good. We could make a small dinner, ourselves. We haven't done that
before," Michael suggested.
"It's hard to make a small turkey dinner. We'd have leftovers forever."
"Turkey is always better the next day."
"But not the next two weeks. Do you know if anyone else is going to be
in town we can invite?" I asked.
"No idea. No one is here now. I think Ian's even gone."
"Is Scott going home for Thanksgiving?"
"No idea. Scott!" Michael yelled.
"Yeah?" Scott asked as he stuck his head out of his room.
"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"
"Staying here. Shawn's back in town tomorrow. Why?"
"We're staying here and were wondering who would be in town if we
decided to make a turkey or a big dinner," I said.
"Uh, yeah, sure. That'd be cool. I'll ask Shawn, but I know were weren't
planning on doing anything in particular."
"Not going to take him home to meet the folks for Thanksgiving?" Michael
smirked.
"Yeah, sure. That'd be a fun time," Scott said sarcastically.
"Sure. You could have Jack fawning over Shawn because of 'X-Men', and
your dad and Linda terrified to let you sleep in the same room," Michael
said.
"Or pretty much the same thing at your mother's house," I added.
"No. I think that would be the best I could hope for. More likely would
be that Shawn would be run out of town and I would be locked up and sent
to one of those conversion camps."
"Wow. You're finally a drama queen," Michael teased. "That's the final
step."
"Blow me."
"I'm not sure if I could."
Scott groaned and rolled his eyes. "You've got a pretty big mouth. I'm
sure you could."
"But he's not going to. You've got Shawn now, and could probably get
Charlie as a backup," I said.
"That's not gonna happen unless Shawn's there, and it's kinda freaky
that I think Shawn actually wants to. It's gotta be some weird Charlie
thing. I mean, he is sexy, but not _that_ sexy."
"Yeah, I don't know what it is, either. I didn't think he was anything
special when I first met him. He grows on you," I said.
"That's true, but for some people I think it's because the first time
they saw him was in 'Queer as Folk'. It made a certain impression,"
Michael added.
"We had kind of a weird first couple months with him with 'Jack Shine',"
I said.
Michael laughed. "Definitely. I had simulated sex with him every night
and Jonah told us what and how to do it."
"I haven't seen the tape of that show yet, but I've heard you guys talk
about it several times," Scott said.
"It's with the other tapes and marked. Go ahead and watch it," I said.
"But wait until Shawn's here so you can both be horny afterwards
together," Michael added and wagged his eye brows.
"With you in it I doubt that'll happen," Scott teased.
"It'll happen. He's very porny in it," I defended.
"If you say so. So Thanksgiving here. What are we making? All the
traditional stuff?" Scott said, getting back on point.
"What's your idea of traditional?" I asked.
"Turkey. Stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes."
"Minus the cranberry sauce, unless you really like it," Michael said.
"No. I can't stand it, but it is traditional."
"How Mars do you want go with it?" Michael asked me.
"It'll only be four of us, so not the quantity. We've got wine already,
so no need to buy anything special. We can get some Campari if you
want."
"I think I'll survive without it," Michael said. "I can make the breads
and deserts if you can make the turkey and sides."
"Sure," I agreed.
"What about me?" Scott asked.
"What do you want to make?"
"Um, I don't know. What do you think?"
"What can you make? Would you prefer a desert or a side?"
"A side, I guess. I don't know how to bake at all."
"You can just be general help, then," I said.
"Okay. I can do that."
"Good. That's settled. How's the toy box coming?" Michael asked me.
"It's coming. I'll sand it down tomorrow and prime it."
"Already building a toy box?" Scott asked.
"That's just what we're calling it," Michael said. "It's actually a
platform with ladders and shelves inside and all crazy Jonah stuff."
"Oh, right."
I flipped them both off. "I'm gonna take a shower."
*** [ 11/27/03, Thanksgiving ]
The preparation of Thanksgiving dinner was fun and very nice. A
double-oven was a necessity, and even then we used Shawn's oven for the
turkey. I had oven-roasted potatoes with rosemary and garlic in one oven
while Michael baked some ciabatta bread in the other. He'd made the
pumpkin pie the day before and the tiramisu early in the morning.
It was calm and friendly with great smells, good wine and friends. The
appetizers slowly disappeared as dinner cooked. The dinner, itself, was
very good -- even better considering it was our first time doing
anything like it.
*
"Thanksgiving is such a great American holiday," Shawn said as he leaned
back from the table and patted his belly.
"Gluttony at it's finest," Michael agreed.
"What are you guys doing for xmas?" I asked.
"We have xmas in Canada," Shawn smirked.
"Really?" I said while flipping him off. "I was just wondering if you
were avoiding family again or what."
"We haven't decided yet," Scott said.
"I think he should just come out to his parents, or we can both go and
he can just say I'm a friend," Shawn said.
"You'd have to sleep in the guest room," Scott warned.
"No chance of sneaking in after everyone goes to bed?"
"Yeah, but you'd have to leave early since both my 'rents get up at the
crack of dawn."
"Do you have any intentions of telling them?" I asked Scott.
"Not any time soon. My mom might eventually be okay with it, but things
would be tense. You've met my dad and Jack. That would just be a
complete fuckin' nightmare. He would blame you guys and blame me going
to New York and cut me off without a dime to get me back there and away
from here. I've thought about it, but it's not worth the trouble right
now. Maybe after I've graduated."
"You're going to have to make an appearance, at least," Michael said.
"They'll know you're avoiding them if you skip out on two big holidays
in a row."
"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet," Scott sighed.
"Do you do one parent or both for xmas?" I asked.
"Both, usually. One on Eve and one on Day. If I go there I'll have to do
both."
"Two days won't be that bad," Shawn said. "Besides, I'd like to meet
your parents."
"No you wouldn't," Michael laughed. "Not his father, at least."
"Why not go down for a day a day early, visit both 'rents, and say
you're going to Shawn's for xmas and skiing?" I offered.
"That could probably work if you got your story right. It would make it
seem like you went out of your way just to spend some time with them,"
Michael added.
"My parents live in Vancouver, though, and there's no way we're driving
that," Shawn said.
"They don't know that," I said.
"Maybe. I don't know. I'll have to talk with them and see if I can just
get out of it all together," Scott said. "Worst comes to worst we just
won't be together on Christmas."
The coffee pot let off its last sigh. "Coffee's done. Everyone want a
cup?" I asked. Everyone did.
"You know one bad thing about doing Thanksgiving on your own is that you
can't just go pass out after dinner and let the women take care of
cleaning up," Scott said as he picked up his plate and Shawn's.
"Sexist," Shawn teased.
"No. That's just the way it happened at my mom's house. What about you
guys?"
"The men had to clean up since the women cooked," Michael said.
"The other way around. The men usually make Thanksgiving dinner on the
Mars side," I said.
"Well that's an easy tradition for you to continue," Shawn teased.
"Yep," I agreed.
"How long do you think it'll be before we have a full Mars family
Thanksgiving?" Michael asked me.
"Here?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Um... I'd say not until most of the kids there are in university. Right
now it's easier for two to travel than ten or more."
"Soon to be three," Scott said.
"Still less than ten. We may be able to get out of it all together if
we're lucky."
"Why lucky? I wouldn't mind hosting it one year," Michael said.
"Because if we go there, we can hang out and then leave when we want. If
everyone comes here we'll have everyone here until they decide to leave.
If they stayed in a hotel it wouldn't be bad, but we'd end up with all
the rooms here full first."
"I think it would be fine for a weekend."
"Remember that when it's just the two of us making dinner for everyone.
It's not likely that anyone will be able to bring anything with them."
"Someone can just come a day early and we'll put them to work here."
"Okay. Let's just give it a few years."
"No problem. I wasn't planning to offer for next year."
"Speaking of next year, is there going to be a New Year's party here
again this year?" Scott asked.
"I think we were just planning on going out," Michael said and looked to
me for verification.
"Yeah, I agree. We're going to Saint Petersburg on the third. I'm happy
with going out and having an early night."
"Are you going all parental?" Shawn teased me.
"Maybe. I don't know," I shrugged.
"He's just a little stressed," Michael said. "Once Niko is here and
everything is settled we'll relax again. Right now it feels like
everything is up in the air."
"Exactly," I said as I started the dishwasher.
"Everyone for passing out in front of the TV?" Michael asked.
"Good choice," Scott yawned and headed up to the loft.
*** [ 11/30/03 ]
"Happy Birthday," I yelled to Scott as he walked in with Shawn at a
little after seven. Michael and I were playing Elvira.
"Hey. Thanks."
"You going out to get shit-faced?" Michael asked.
"No. It's Sunday. We went out to dinner and I ordered the drinks. That's
fine for now," Scott said.
"We might go out next weekend," Shawn said. "Either of you have a wild
21st birthday?"
"Nope. On mine we basically did what you did. On Michael's we were
working on this place and had dinner here."
"He did call me and tell me to pick up some beer on the way," Michael
added. "Of course, that was after Charlie called us and reminded us that
it was our birthday."
"Charlie remembered something?" Shawn laughed.
"We all have the same birthday," I said.
"Really? That's weird."
"Lots of things are weird with them," Scott smirked. "Did they ever tell
you about their initials?"
"Their initials?"
"Yeah. Mine are JM. Michael are MP. Our first name initials together are
JM and last name initials together are MP," I said.
"Yeah, okay. I think that gives me chills. SA. SM. SS. AM. Nope. Nothing
here," Shawn said.
"We're freaks. It's unlikely that anyone else would have such strange
synchronicity," Michael said.
"That's a big word for you," Scott teased him.
"It was a good album," Michael said with a gesture.
"It was. Too bad Sting went out on his own and got lame," I agreed.
"So what are you doing up here? If you aren't going out then I figured
you'd at least be having birthday sex," Michael said.
"Already did, thanks," Scott smiled.
"And Aaron is in town with his woman. I'd rather avoid hearing or seeing
that," Shawn added.
"Don't you have 2 other shag-shacks?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah, sure, but not in New York. They're going to be here all week.
Just found out this afternoon."
"Let's boogie!" Michael said with the game and wiggled against me.
"Thank you, boys," I continued.
"This game is so tacky it's cool," Shawn laughed.
"Yep. When are you getting one?" Michael asked and moved away so I could
continue playing.
"I've been looking around. I almost bought a 'Family Guy' one, but... It
just wasn't as cool. I think pinball machines have to be somewhat retro
to be cool."
"You could go retro with video games, too. When I was looking for parts
for this I found a ton of stuff that I thought didn't exist anymore.
Pac-Man. Donkey Kong. Dig-Dug. You can get big consoles with a couple of
those on it. Good if you can't decide," Michael said.
"An arcade version of Donkey Kong would be cool," Shawn said.
"I say you should get the other Elvira pinball machine. 'Scared Stiff',
I think," I said.
"That's not suggestive at all," Shawn laughed.
"Of course not."
"I don't know. I'll see what's around. You've got a pinball machine and
so does Ian. I should go with a video game instead."
*** [ 12/1/03, Monday ]
"Set up yet?" Michael asked me as he walked into the theater.
"It's all plugged-in and ready to calibrate. Can you help with that?"
"I don't know. Can I? What do you need me to do?"
"Either go up on the ladder and adjust while I stay down here, or I'll
go up and you stay down."
"You go fiddle with the controls. I'll stay down and make sure it looks
good," Michael smirked.
"Can do," I said and climbed up the ladder. I turned on the projector,
punched buttons until I got a test pattern of a grid, and then turned
down the house lights.
"That's way off!" Michael yelled.
"Thanks, smart ass!" I yelled back.
"No problem!"
It took a while to get the keystone set, and then the focus.
"Boring, but it looks straight and sharp," Michael said.
"Okay. Give me a minute and I'll start the movie," I said, climbed down
the ladder and went up to the control booth. I turned on the sound
system, cued up the DVD, and then set it to play. It looked okay from
the booth.
"How's the sound level?" I asked Michael over the PA.
He gestured that it needed to go up. Once that was fine I went back down
to the house to see it.
"We're so groovy cool," Michael smiled as I walked in.
"Of course we are. Why now?"
"Just showing these old Christmas cartoons. I love the songs in these
things."
"What's your favorite song from them?"
"Hmmm. I think the Heat Miser/Snow Miser one."
"Yeah. That's a good one. Remember to thank Susan for getting us the
rights."
"I already did. Have a seat and enjoy the show."
"No thanks. I need to turn it off for now and we'll watch it tonight.
It's running all month. Can you give me a hand taking down the ladder
and putting the seats back?"
"Yeah," Michael said and stood up. "Do you think we'll get lots of
people?"
"Don't know. We'll see. It's only $5, so we might get a bunch of stoned
university kids in here."
"As long as they don't scare off the families."
"I don't think we'll have many families. Monday through Wednesday aren't
good family nights."
***
The Christmas movies actually sold pretty well. We weren't sold out by
any means, but the house was at least half-full every night -- mostly
with students. By the end of the week Shawn had a Donkey Kong, Donkey
Kong Jr and Mario Brothers Combo arcade console that we had to break in.
I totally suck at video games.
Chad showed up on the 13th with Sofia, his newest girlfriend. She was
part of the OTH cast and they'd been dating for a couple months,
apparently.
*** [ Sunday, 12/14/03 ]
"I think this one would be fun," Michael said and tossed me the script.
"Yeah, I already read that one. It would be good for film, but not live
theater. It's too episodic and the settings are too important to the
story to go minimalist," I said and set it aside.
"I can see that. Maybe I'll pass it on to Gus," Michael said and grabbed
the phone. "Yeah?...We're just going over scripts...Sure, come on up..."
"Who's that?" I asked after he hung up.
"Charlie. Davie dropped by with a couple people. He wants to come up and
play pool before they go out on the town."
"Good thing we bought beer yesterday."
"Yeah. What do you want to bet that Charlie will suggest we play strip
pool?"
"Nothing. I'm sure he will."
"Should we call everyone else and just make it a party?"
"Sure."
*
"Hello, hello?" Charlie called out as he walked in with his entourage.
"Up here," I said and put the pile of scripts on the bookcase before
going downstairs. Behind Charlie was Davie, Elija Wood, someone who I
think was Orlando Bloom, and someone I'd never seen.
"Guys, this is Jonah," Charlie introduced me. "Where's Michael?"
"Here," Michael said as he walked out of the bathroom.
"And that's Michael," Charlie continued. "I'm sure you remember Davie,
and that's Elija, Orlando and Noel."
We all shook hands and I offered them a beer while Michael went down to
gather anyone else who wanted to join our impromptu party.
"So what brings everyone to town?" I asked.
"'Return of the King' premier on Wednesday," Elija answered.
"And Noel and I are here on business," Davie added. "Just thought we'd
grab Charlie and go out, but playing pool until things get hopping
sounded good."
"Okay. Well, make yourselves at home, and feel free to contribute to the
beer fund jar."
"So. Who's going to lose first?" Charlie asked.
"Are we playing the standard Hunnam Strip 8-Ball?" Davie asked.
"That's the game," Charlie smiled.
"Hold on. Explain that," Orlando said.
"Simple. You lose a game you lose a piece of clothing. Last person
clothed is the winner."
"And why would I want to play that with a bunch of blokes?"
"No worries. You don't have to knob anyone. It keeps things
interesting," Charlie said as Michael walked back in with Chad, Sofia,
Shawn, Scott and Ian. The one woman seemed to ease Orlando's fears a
bit.
"So where's the fat hobbit?" Ian asked.
The LOTR crowd laughed.
"Hopefully lost looking for a club that doesn't exist," Orlando laughed.
"Sean means well, but he's annoying as fuck," Elija said.
"And the others?"
"Not in town yet."
*
Their plans to go out were forgotten as the beer supply quickly
diminished and the competitiveness at staying clothed kicked in. By the
end of the evening, Chad, Shawn, Orlando, Elija, Noel, Charlie, Michael
and Ian were naked and drunk. Scott, Davie and I were down to underwear,
as well as Sofia. Elija was passed out on the pool area sofa with
Orlando and Charlie, who were giggly and discussing things they could do
to Elija while he was passed out. Sofia and Chad were making out in the
loft. Noel was curled up in a chair in the loft, sound asleep. Scott was
holding Shawn on the piano bench and they were both barely awake.
"Interesting night," Davie commented and took a drink of his beer.
"We've never had so many naked men in our place," Michael slurred with a
self-satisfied smirk.
"Yeah. We should do this more often, but it would be more interesting if
they were up and dancing or something instead of all drunk and
half-asleep," I said.
"Sleep sounds good. I'm outta here. Night," Ian said and stumbled out
with his clothes in his hands.
"Do you guys have somewhere you have to be, or were you planning to
crash here?" I asked Davie.
"I've learned never to plan when Charlie is involved. We'll just crash
down at his place if you can help me get everyone downstairs," Davie
said.
"I'm going to bed," Michael said and gave me a sloppy kiss before
stumbling off. "Night."
"Never mind getting them downstairs," Davie said and gestured to Orlando
and Charlie, who were now passed out next to Elija. "I really need to
get a picture of that," he said and went looking for his pants.
"Let's make it more interesting," I smirked and went over to the trio. I
pushed Charlie over so his face was on Elija's thigh. Orlando stirred a
little and snuggled against Charlie's side.
"Oh, that's brilliant," Davie smiled and took a few shots with his cell
phone camera.
"You're not going to distribute those, right?" I asked.
"No. Just embarrass them with them. They're fine right there. Did you
see where Charlie put his pants so I can get his key?"
"Um...over here," I said and picked up the pair of pants, feeling for a
key. I found it and handed it to Davie.
"Thanks. I'm off. Cheers," Davie said and gathered his clothes, and
everyone else's, before walking out.
I woke Shawn and Scott enough to send them to Scott's room. Chad and
Sofia were all but having sex in the loft when I went up to send them
home.
I cleared my throat loudly.
"Go away," Chad mumbled and went back to what he was doing.
"Party is over. Go fuck in your bed, not on my sofa," I said and slapped
his bare ass.
Sofia now realized I was there and pushed Chad off, looking mortified as
she covered herself. Chad lay startled on the floor with a hard-on.
"Don't worry about it," I said to her. "If you can safely make it down
to your apartment, then go now. I'm locking up," I said to Chad.
"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry. We'll be going. Do you know where our clothes
are?"
"Somewhere downstairs," I said and gave him a hand up from the floor.
Sofia ran down to get her clothes right away. Chad gave me a drunken
annoyed look for interrupting and then stumbled after her. A few minutes
later they were gone.
I threw a blanket over Noel and then locked up and gathered all the beer
bottles. I grabbed a couple blankets for the trio and stared for a few
minutes, thinking about what fun I could have.
Elija had rolled onto his back since the picture and now had one leg
half-over Charlie and one on the floor. Feeling wicked, I gently lifted
Charlie's head and moved Elija's legs slightly before putting Charlie
back down with his face on Elija's flaccid penis. Charlie moved his legs
up and snuggled his face before settling. This left Orlando. I lifted
his legs onto the cushions and then put his hand between Charlie's legs,
resting on his penis. Despite their state, the sight was fairly erotic
and I was erect. I threw one blanket over Orlando and the other
stretched between Elija and Charlie, leaving Charlie's face out.
Satisfied that the morning would be interesting, I shut off the lights,
brushed my teeth and went to bed, hoping Michael was still awake. He
wasn't. I had to take things into my own hands before I could fall
asleep.
*** [ Monday, 12/15/03 ]
Despite being the last to go to bed, I was the first to wake the next
morning -- probably because I'd had far less to drink than anyone else.
The trio's position was now even more porny than when I'd left them. The
blankets had mostly fallen off and all had morning erections. Charlie
was now facing the other direction, but still with his face in Elija's
crotch. This also meant that now Charlie's erection was poking Orlando's
chin. I chuckled to myself and went to make a pot of coffee as Scott
walked out of his room.
"Mornin'," Scott mumbled on the way to the bathroom. A couple minutes
later he reemerged, looking for coffee. He got sidetracked as he noticed
the naked trio. "Holy shit."
"I know," I laughed.
Scott walked around them and checked out all the angles. His sweats were
definitely tenting and he reached in to adjust himself before coming
over to the kitchen counter.
"Did someone get a picture of that?"
"Davie did last night. It wasn't quite as porny as it is now," I said.
"Definitely. That's hot."
"I'd suggest you go wake up your man, but you don't want to miss the
excitement when they wake."
"I think he'll want to see it, too. Don't make too much noise until I
get back," Scott said and ran off to his room. A few minutes later he
reappeared, dragging a half-asleep Shawn with him.
Shawn checked them out as well before sitting at the kitchen counter. I
handed them each a cup of coffee.
"And here I am without a video camera," Shawn said.
"I'm just waiting for Charlie to start blowing Elija," Scott said and
gave me a quick look.
"He practically is," Shawn laughed quietly.
"Jonah. Why don't you go wake Charlie up a little. Let's see what he
does," Scott suggested as we all drank our coffee and watched them.
"You go get Michael up and I will. He'll want to see this," I said.
Scott set his cup down and practically ran upstairs. A few minutes later
he came down with Michael.
"Coffee, please," Michael groaned and then went over to check out the
trio. He reached out and rubbed one of Charlie's nipples a bit until he
stirred.
"Hangover?" I asked as I handed him his coffee and some aspirin.
"Yeah. Thanks."
We were all now sitting with our coffee watching the naked trio. Charlie
pushed his crotch forward and rubbed his face on Elija. Orlando groaned
and pushed him back. Charlie sat up quickly and fell off the sofa before
grabbing his head in pain -- though it was his ass he landed on. Orlando
slowly sat up, looking confused and Elija slept on.
"Morning, guys," I said. They both jumped and turned confused gazes to
their audience. Charlie caught on first and flipped us off before
stumbling to the bathroom.
"Where am I?" Orlando asked. "And where are my clothes?"
"Davie took your clothes with him," I said.
"What? Oh, right. Strip pool and drinking. Cunt could have left my
clothes," he said and then noticed the blanket on the floor. He stood up
and wrapped it around himself.
"Is Elija dead?" Scott asked as Elija hadn't moved yet.
"No, he just sleeps like it. He's a freak. Watch this," Orlando said
before turning to Elija. "Wood. You're on," he said in a normal tone of
voice. Elija immediately opened his eyes and stood up, then looked
confused and grabbed his head as he sat back down. Orlando just laughed
at him.
"Cunt," Elija muttered.
"No. That would be Davie. He took all our clothes."
"Where are my clothes?" Charlie asked as he stumbled out of the
bathroom.
"Davie has them down at your place," I answered.
"Right. Coffee and aspirin, pleeeaase," he said and sat down at the
kitchen counter.
"Make that two," Orlando added.
"Elija?" I asked.
"A guillotine, if you have one."
"Sorry. Our guillotine is in the shop."
"Then coffee and aspirin, please."
"Three more...well, three more half-cups of coffee and aspirin, coming
right up," I said and portioned out the last of the coffee.
"Could I get my clothes, too, please?" Elija asked as he stumbled up to
the kitchen counter.
"Davie took them," Charlie mumbled.
"Yeah, I heard. Can't you call him or get into your apartment?"
"I seem to have left my keys in my other ass," Charlie snapped and
gestured that he was naked as well.
I handed Charlie the phone. He called Davie and ended up leaving a
message filled with a few expletives.
"If you can't reach him I can dig out a key and let you in," I offered.
"Yeah. Do that so we can go in and throw his clothes out the window,"
Orlando said.
"I think you should just sit on his face," Charlie said.
"Such hostility just because he took your clothes?" Michael said.
"Really. Be careful what you do. He does have pictures," I smirked.
"Pictures of what?" Elija asked.
"Three naked guys cuddled together on a sofa."
"Then we definitely need to get in a get a pic of him with my cock in
his face," Charlie said.
"Yeah, okay. I'll get the key," I said and went back to the safe in the
utility room. When I got back with the key Charlie and Elija had towels
wrapped around themselves. Orlando kept his blanket. I took them down
and let them into Charlie's place. I left them to do their worst to
Davie and came back upstairs, putting the key back in the safe.
"I think they forgot someone," Scott said from the living room loft.
"Who? Oh, right. Noel. How's the view?" Michael asked.
"He's wrapped in a blanket."
"Should we wake him or let him sleep?"
"Wake him and send him downstairs," I said.
"Bloody hell!" Noel called out a few seconds later, apparently startled.
"Everyone else went down to Charlie's. Your clothes are there as well,"
Scott said.
"Right. How long?"
"They just left a few minutes ago."
"Don't mind if I borrow the duvet for a bit?"
"You can take the blanket. Just bring it back up after you're dressed,"
I called out.
"Thanks, mate. I'll...uh...yeah," Noel said as he came downstairs.
"Which is his flat?"
"4A."
"Right. Thanks," he said and left.
"That was an interesting night," Michael commented.
"Yeah. So are we going to the 'Return of the King' premier?" I asked.
"I want to see it, but not at the premier. The crowds."
"We can go this weekend, then."
"Absolutely. It's going to be weird, though, seeing Frodo and Legolas
with clothes on," Michael smirked.
***
Not to be outdone by everyone else, Chad bought "California Speed", a
huge sit-down racing game, a few days before he left to spend xmas with
his family in Buffalo. Things after that were mostly calm as all the
other building tenants, except Shawn, had left.
*** [ 12/23/03 ]
"Let me take that," I said and took the coffee pot from Scott. He was
jittery and nervous and I had the feeling something was going to end up
smashed on the floor. "Relax a little before you crack."
"Easy for you to say. You're not taking your boyfriend home to meet your
parents who have no idea that you like guys," Scott snapped.
"I thought you were just going to say he's a friend?"
"I am, but it doesn't matter. What if we slip up? We're so used to all
those casual touches that you don't even think about."
"It's only for two days. You've done it in public."
"Yeah, but no nobody knows me in public. This'll be my parents watching
me like a hawk. I don't know if I remember how to treat Shawn just like
a friend."
"Like you ever did," I teased.
"You're not helping."
The door opened and Shawn walked in with his suitcase.
"Ready to go?" Shawn asked.
"Um, no?" Scott grimaced.
"Everything'll be fine," Shawn said and wrapped his arms around Scott.
Scott pulled away.
"Maybe. Remember that we can't do that for the next couple days."
"We can do it now," Shawn countered and hugged Scott tightly.
"You do have that big barn you can disappear into," I suggested.
"Mornin'," Michael said as he walked down the stairs. "Leaving kinda
late, aren't you?"
"He's delaying until the last possible moment," I said.
"Exactly. If we get in late they'll already be in bed."
"Who's house are you going to first?" Michael asked.
"My dad's house."
"Why not pull Jack out to the barn after your dad goes to bed and tell
him? You can hold him hostage and beat him up all night until he's cool
with it. Then you'll have an ally," I said.
"You have met Jack, right?" Scott said incredulously.
"Several times. He just gets freaked out at first. If you give him some
time and argue with him he comes around."
"No. Maybe next time after he's gotten to know Shawn a bit. I want this
to go as drama free as possible."
"Why don't we still pull Jack aside tonight? It'll be the only time we
can be around him without your folks around. You can decide what to tell
him," Shawn said.
"Yeah, okay. That makes sense. Just remember that he's very small town
and gets freaked out easily."
"Just like his big brother," Michael smirked.
"I am not like Jack," Scott complained.
"Not exactly, but you've been freaked out several times since I've known
you. The big difference is that you want to get over it, and Jonah and I
are here to push you past it when you hesitate."
"Okay, but I try. Jack doesn't try unless he's forced."
"I know. That's why you still live here. Jack would have run long ago."
"And we need to run. Let's go so we get there at a decent hour," Shawn
said.
"You're completely missing the point," Scott said.
"I'm not. It's almost ten now and you said it takes twelve hours. If we
hit snow or something it'll take even longer."
"Just go and get it over with. A couple days and you'll be back here," I
said.
"We're going to Vancouver afterwards," Shawn said.
"Flying out of Indianapolis?"
"No. We're coming back here, but we fly out the morning after we get
back."
"Oh. Do you want to take you gifts with you?" Michael asked.
"No. I'd just have to bring it back."
*** [ 12/25/03 ]
"Ready to go open presents?" Michael asked while rubbing his chest with
my hand.
"I'm still sleeping," I mumbled.
"Okay. You stay in bed. I'm going to open presents -- unless you need me
to get dressed so we can go out for mine."
I chuckled. "What the hell else did you expect me to build? Or did you
want to buy another building?"
"Hell no. The last thing we need is another building. I was thinking
more like a new amp."
"Did you blow your old one?" I asked.
"No. It was just a thought. So you awake now?"
"Yeah, let's go," I sighed dramatically and pushed him out of bed. He
pulled the covers with him, and gave a smirk before walking downstairs.
*
Our gifts this year were smaller and more along the lines of normal
gifts. His big gift from me was an EH-R1 ribbon microphone, and my big
gift from him was a free-standing hammock for the roof. Scott and Shawn
had given us a decent burr coffee grinder to replace our dying blade
one. It was a nice, quiet Christmas and we spent it snuggled on the sofa
after making phone calls.
*** [ 12/26/03 ]
"We're back!" Shawn yelled as he and Scott walked in around nine.
"And you survived," I said as Michael and I went down to join them.
"Easily," Shawn smirked.
Scott gave him an incredulous look.
"Yeah, well, okay. Not easily, but we survived. I liked his mom and
Bruce. His dad and Linda..."
"My dad was being a dick. I don't think he liked that I brought a 'movie
star' home for Christmas," Scott said.
"How was Jack?"
"He was a little freaked out at first, but he was fine."
"Did you tell him?" Michael asked.
"No. He was too weirded out with just Shawn. If he visits again this
summer I'll tell him then."
"I said we should let him walk in on us in bed together," Shawn laughed.
"Or not," Scott said.
"I need to teach you how to enjoy freaking people out," Michael teased.
"So where are our presents?" Shawn said.
"Still under the tree," I said.
"Get anything good at the 'rents?" Michael asked as Shawn and Scott went
over to sit by the tree.
"Not really. Just clothes and art supplies."
"Yeah, he got a great shirt," Shawn teased.
"Great if I was ten years old and it was 1960," Scott said. "Parents
shouldn't be allowed to buy you clothing after you turn fifteen."
"You'll laugh when you see it. Linda was so proud. I think she thought
it was retro-cool and not just tacky," Shawn laughed.
"At least she didn't buy plaid pants to go with it," Scott said and
handed Shawn a present.
"Oh, uh, then you probably don't want to open that," Michael teased.
"Right. If you bought it it would be edible underwear or underwear for
two."
"Damn."
"Okay. You're up," I said to Michael.
"'Bout time," he said as he hopped up and went over to play.
"His and His robes," Shawn laughed after he and Scott had opened their
presents from us.
"A pretty nice robe. Thanks," Scott said.
"You're welcome."
"Perfect for the hot tub. Want to, tonight?" Shawn asked.
"Yeah. I need it to relax after this week," Scott agreed.
"I'll go warm it up," I said and went to the roof to do so. We'd gotten
a couple inches of snow since Michael and I had been outside yesterday.
We all had a nice soak a little while later and then went to bed. Scott
and Shawn were gone when we got up in the morning.
***
Michael and I went out on New Year's Eve and moved among different
parties we'd been invited to. Our original plan of being in by two fell
apart and it was after seven before we got home and in bed.
***
Comments welcomed and encouraged. jmstories@gmail.com.
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